My latest Artist Spotlight Series feature was found locally at Slate Interiors.

I was taken with her colorful busts of David and now so much more.

Enjoy getting to know the talented

Kristle Studio

Charlotte, North Carolina

What is your training? 

I took studio art classes throughout high school and college- from painting, sculpture, and printmaking to ceramics and drawing, and I graduated from Texas Tech University.

I’ve taken a few workshops since then, from other artists like Peggi Kroll Roberts and Claire Desjardins.

What inspires you and your designs?

Light! Color! Reflections – a good light source and social activities. I’m intrigued by unlikely color pairings and the way in which colors interact differently with figures and material surfaces.  I’m in love with everything vintage and strive to find new ways to bring a sense of nostalgia to my paintings. 

What is your favorite piece? 

Typically the piece on my easel is the favorite!  I’m really loving working with different mediums and painting surfaces right now… especially gauche, acrylic inks and thick paper. A commission for Amy Earnhardt and Dale Jr. is a recent favorite! 

I also love my recent beach woman series – see www.kristlestudio.com 

How has the your area influenced your work?

Living in North Carolina has taken my work in a direction that I appreciate.  I’ve found that art with regional subject matter, like an East Coast beach, is more marketable than foreign subject matter you may see in my earlier pieces.

What is your favorite restaurant in Charlotte?

There are so many new and interesting places to dine in and around the Charlotte area. I’m originally from Texas, and I love Mexican food. Back home in Texas, we don’t call it “Tex-Mex”… It’s just “Mexican food”. Superica is one of the places I go back to on repeat, usually for Sunday brunch. I usually order the enchiladas with steak.

I also like Bardo for an interesting cocktail or an intimate occasion. 

What is your favorite cocktail?

I really like a good IPA. My favorite is Noda’s Hop Drop and Roll. 

How do you balance personal life and work?

I try to have set work hours every day so that I don’t end up working odd hours and weekends. I work from home and my pool house is my studio, so it helps that I don’t have a commute everyday. Our family eats dinner every night at the table, and this gives us time to talk and unplug. 

Dream trip?

A few summers ago, seven girlfriends and I took a ten day trek through the Andes, and it was a dream trip come true!

I’d love to do a long European tour, starting in Paris to shop for antiques and end with hiking Spain’s Camino Trail. 

Dream commission?

I would love to paint an entire series for a boutique hotel or curated restaurant. 

Your favorite host / hostess gift to give?

 Candles! 

Who is your style icon? 

The first person that comes to mind is Kelly Wearstler. When she designs, there is always something old and something new. I love the way she mixes edgy art and sculpture with antiques and she really pushes the envelope with shapes to create a sense of balance. 

Your favorite up and coming artist?

I really love the work @studioljd is doing. We connected a few months ago and decided to swap commissions with each other. She really liked the David Busts I was painting at the time and I had to have one of her graphic rectangle paintings. Her art glows! 

A couple of my favorite more established artists are Claire Desjardins,

Zoey Frank

and Patrick Puckett. There is this one painting of Patrick’s of three girls standing on a tennis court with dead stares at the viewer. I can’t make out the words to say how this painting makes me feel, but I want it hanging in my living room. 

What is your most treasured possession?

I love my house. My husband and I bought a house with a few acres in Concord. It’s a 70’s ranch house. Also anything I own thats old and vintage. my husband and I recently bought a 1971 Scout Harvester II that’s climbing pretty high on my list. 

I also really love this self portrait that my daughter drew a couple of years ago and anything my husband has ever written to me or made for me on paper.   

What are you reading? 

The last book I read was Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. There was a passage that talks about fleeting inspiration and how the inspiration picks you, if you don’t act on it, it may find someone else who will act on it. 

What are you listening to?

Favorite podcast is Broken Record by Malcolm Gladwell. The episode where he interviews Jack White about Elvis is the best listen I have ever heard.

I also listen to the Happy Hour podcast with Jamie Ivey.

Music- anything Texas Country.

What are your favorite blogs / publications?

Love Darling magazine and AD. 

Check out her lovely work on her website and Instagram. 

 

 

 

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